Each country has its own laws and traditions, and some of them cause sincere surprise and misunderstanding among residents of other states. But don’t laugh – these customs are real and very important for residents of these countries. We would like to bring to your attention 10 the most unusual traditions of the world.
10 – Unhappy wake
In India, during the feast of remembrance of Saint Moinuddin Chishti, thousands of fakirs and pilgrims pass through the streets of Ajmer. To prove their fidelity to religion and show how much they mourn, the participants pierce themselves with needles. Another especially popular thing to do is putting out the eyes with sharp metal objects.
09 – Dangerous birthday party
This is a tradition related to celebrating the birth of a child in the family. This tradition has been observed by some Muslims in the Indian state of Maharashtra for more than five centuries. Those who decide to do this, drop the newborn babies from the wall of the temple at a height of 15 meters. It’s believed that after the fall child’s health becomes stronger, luck comes to him and accompany throughout his life. Also it makes him incredibly brave and clever. Of course, at the bottom of the wall people pull the cloth to catch a child in order to avoid an accident.
08 – Male torment
It’s a tradition of the Brazilian tribe Satere-Mauve. To become a man in this village, a boy must undergo a special ritual. The young man puts on his hand a glove full of ant paraponers, whose bite is 30 times more painful than wasp bites. Only after 11 hours of this test a boy became a man.
07 – All people are equal
In Norway, don’t even think of ceding a sit in public transport. So the elders will think that you are trying to show your superiority. At school it isn’t allowed to announce marks in front of everyone in the class, as some students may be humiliated. Don’t ask about the state of health of the employee after the hospital – this is considered a personal life and too intimate things.
06 – Be polite – champ
If you don’t champ at the table in China, the owners may think that you don’t like dishes, and you eat them without pleasure. In the restaurant it can easily offend the cook. So don’t forget to champ tastefully, while eating very tasty food. Also don’t worry about accidentally soiled tablecloth. It’s desirable even to put a small spot on purpose, showing that you appreciated unusual dishes and ate with appetite.
05 – Feast with the dead
The inhabitants of the Republic of Madagascar are extremely attached to their relatives. But sometimes this connection becomes abnormal, especially when it comes to already dead people. Till the present day Malagasy strictly follow the ancient custom and periodically dig up the dead from their tombs, dress in the best clothes and take joint photos with them. To a modern European it will seem wild, and the people of Madagascar believe that such behavior is nothing but a manifestation of love and reverence for those who are already in another world.
04 – Throwing Cinnamon On All The Single Ladies
In Denmark, people throw cinnamon on anyone who is single. At least as long as those men and women are over the age of 25. If you are single in Denmark and you hit 30, you get pepper thrown on you. As if the dating scene wasn’t hard enough.
03 – Dirty means happy
In some regions of Scotland still exists a medieval wedding tradition. A bride, dressed in a flawlessly white dress, decorated with flowers (and rich in jewelry) completely besmears herself in the mud. This dirt can consist of spoiled foods, soil, flour and honey. In this look, the bride must walk along the main street, bypass the central square, and also ride a horse around the city. Today it’s done, mostly, for the sake of entertainment, but before that people believed that through this tradition a girl cleanses her soul from all earthly sins. Learn more interesting wedding traditions on the best international dating site.
02 – Phallic feast
The Japanese, as practice shows, are rather strange in their customs. And the Japanese holiday of spring fertility is a proof. In early spring, residents of the country gather in the streets of cities (only some cities, since not everyone takes part in the festival) to contemplate the sacred action. The strongest and healthy men get the opportunity to carry through the city a wooden phallus, weighing 25 kilograms. Such a tradition presupposes not only ennobling the land and raising the level of yield, but also brings “fertility to the family”, increasing the birth rate and strengthening families.
01 – Dangerous abstention
Members of the Tindong community forbid the newlyweds to take shower and go to the toilet for three endless days and nights. Because if a couple decide to ease themselves, a woman may become infertile, or the child may die. And that future spouses don’t want to go to the toilet, they are constantly watched, eat a small amount of food and drink only a couple drops of water.